Academic interests

Depression and anxiety

Rumination and worry

How mood affects attention and vica versa

Neurocognitive and clinical models of depression and anxiety

Metacognitive theory and therapy

Research project

I'm examining why many formerly depressed experience a relapse of depression. In a 12 month follow-up study, 300 - 400 formerly depressed are recruited from outpatient clinics in Oslo and examined regularly. In this period, we assess the participants’ thoughts, feelings, depressive symptoms, cortisol response, a gene variant, and we conduct a MRI scan. Participants are also carrying out a computer task which assess how they direct their attention.

Specifically, I want to understand how the interaction of depressive rumination, metacognitions, emotion regulation strategies, and attention causes depressive relapse. Additionally, I’m planning to use eye tracking to assess how participants direct their attention when they experience depressed mood/are ruminating.

We think that changes in participants’ thoughts and feelings, stress response, neurobiological function, etc. influence how attention is directed, and vica versa, and that this is causing depressive symptoms. The goal of the project is to understand depression better, so treatment can be improved and relapse prevented.